


Fun Times At SHINRA High (Final Fantasy VII Fanfic)

by A_chan777



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Humor, Drama & Romance, F/M, High School, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 07:37:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_chan777/pseuds/A_chan777
Summary: Aeirth and her mother leave their pleasant nest to travel to new horizons! Her experiences there crumble as she realizes how dirty and mucky the residents are, but it doesn't make her dream of life and color falter!





	1. New Girl in Town

**Author's Note:**

> Okay wow. Looking back to this story, I see how much my writing style has changed. Maybe one day I'll bounce back to this story and fix it up. ^^ Also, yes, this first chapter is very short, I know. Trust me, it gets SO much better.

 

X/X/XX

Dear Diary,

Well, today is the day mom and I leave our little home in Mideel. It was sad watching our little village sending us off.  
The children had made little baskets and bottles full of sea shells, white sands and little white flowers for us. It was cute! But very  
sad too. I didn't want to leave, but mom had been given a chance to be a second hand at a cafe'/book store in Midgar. It's going  
to be quite the drive. But, seeing as how this is to be my way of 'exploring new horizons', as mom puts it, I'll take this chance to  
introduce myself, Diary! Hehe ^^

My name is Aerith. Aerith Gainsboro. I'll be 16 in a few weeks. I look a little tall for my age, but my neighbors always told me  
that it's a good quality of mine. Since I was little, I had been schooled by my entire village, Mideel. The village was too small to have  
multiple schools. Therefore, our mayor decided to just be one big family and teach our young the best we knew about survival,  
speech, writings. The basics. ^^;

But now that mom has a better job, and since Midgar is INSANELY bigger than my tank little Mideel.... I'm actually kinda worried.  
What if I get lost just TRYING to get to school? Let's see, I'm 16, or soon to be, so I should be in a High School, right? Wow.  
This is scary. What if the people in Midgar are mean? I've heard about toxins erupting from the surrounding towers. Many poor  
chocobos have died because of the toxins. It's so sad! Not only that, but I have heard they place many bets with this tacky casino  
called 'The Golden Saucer' on chocobo racing. If it were natural, harmless, racing of wildlife, I'd enjoy it. But to place bets on these  
beautiful creatures? And to add to that, they torture them by placing spiky-looking collars on them! How disgusting! Their feathers  
are going to ruffle and become weak! This must be against the law or something!

*sigh* Mom says we'll be at Midgar in a few hours. This is great. I'm moving to a polluted, ugly hung of junk full of cruel people!  
*GASP* WHAT IF I MAKE NO FRIENDS?! I-I'll NEVER get a boyfriend at this rate!

  
~~~~~~~~

"Aerith, honey! Welcome to our new home!" My mother, Elmyra Gainsboro, cheered at my side, pushing me towards the actually  
cute little cottage. The scenery, on the other hand, could have improvements. I liked the waterfall in our back yard. It reminded me  
of the sea, in a way. But the rest of our land was nothing but barren soil. Has no one even stepped foot here? "It's cute, but where's  
the color? Midgar is so..." "I know sweetie. But you know what? It's still Spring break for the schools. That should give us enough  
time to spark some life in this musty part of the Sector!" I smiled and laughed at mom's enthusiasm. She can be so encouraging  
sometimes. "Alright, mom! I'm going to unpack!" I continued laughing as we both charged for the upstairs of our new home.

Our new home, huh? Boy this is scary. I wonder if there's any where I can find some good flowers?

~~~~~~~~

X/X/XX

Dear Diary,

It's been a few weeks since mom and I moved here in the Sector 5 Slums of Midgar. I miss seeing the sky and the smell of the sea.  
But seeing as how Midgar's 'Mayor', cruel title for such a stubby porky ugly little man!, had built the city to be separated between  
the rich on top of the Plates, and the poor folk below the Plates. Unfortunately for my mother and myself, money was never a large  
part of our concerns, until now. So, of course, we live in the Slums below the Sector 5 Plate. Every now and then, we'd explore  
the upper parts of the city, only to get lost. I suppose it's a good thing we found the train station nearby.

Actually, that reminds me! We took the train to Sector 7 today. Mom wanted to go meet a friend at a grocery store there. Her friend,  
Celes, had roamed my mother's cafe' book shop the other day and quickly became friends after discussing a book on flying machines  
called 'Air Ships'. Can you believe it? Haha! But that's not what I wanted to talk about.

I was right to have my worries for Midgar. There are SO many GANGS! Bad ones, too. I remember back on the train, we'd pass  
through Sector 6. I had never been to a....well, 'Club', before...and there's no WAY I'd wanna go now! I thought Clubs were suppose  
to be filled with music and dancing and joy!? But seeing those women move like that...and IN THE STREETS no less! There were  
CHILDREN around! But any way, back to the gangs.

I remembered seeing many graffiti on the walls in Sector 6. Well, there were larger ones EVERYWHERE in Sector 7. They all said  
'AVALANCHE'. Why Avalanche? And are the motorcycles necessary? There were quite a few in front of this bar I passed by. The  
name sounded cute, but the atmosphere around there creeped me out. The bar was called 'Tifa's Seventh Heaven'. Names can be  
deceiving. Good thing I didn't enter. There was a big man with a gun on his arm, LITERALLY as him arm, leaning on the door  
cursing at the street folk something about clouds. Very strange man. There's no weather in Midgar. Well, not unless you live up top.  
But what made him get angry about the clouds for?

Despite all of the strange and creepy things I've come across these past few weeks, there was one thing I enjoyed. I met this cute  
little girl named Marlene. She really liked my basket of pink and red roses. I've been planting SOOOOOO many flowers in my yard!  
(Don't worry, Diary! Once I get my photos developed, I'll paste them in your pages for you ^//^) Anyway, Marlene is 6 years old and  
it looks like she's the daughter to that gun-man back at that bar. I was shocked at first, but if she was such a nice girl, I'm sure the  
father must be a good enough parent too. I hope. Anyway, since she loved my flowers so much, I gave her one of them. Well, I  
first wrapped it in my handkerchief before handing the flower to her. I didn't want her to prick her fingers on the thorns.

She asked me if I wanted it back, but I told her no. I've made so many lately ^^;. I'm sure I don't need another. *sigh* Having no  
friends is hard. I've got nothing to do but explore the Sectors and plant my flowers in our yard. Oh yeah! I forgot about the Church!  
Did you know there's an abandoned Church here in the Slums? I don't know why it's abandoned. But it's beautiful and peaceful.

Inside, there's broken flooring at the back of the church. But a little speck of light emerges from the broken rooftop, shining down  
to hit the perfect spot for gardening. At first when I arrived, it was just dirt and a few little weeds here and there. But I've been  
spending a lot of time there and each time I'm there, I tend to the beauty of the church. It's sad no one uses the church anymore. I  
wonder why? Oh well. If I'm ever alone or afraid of the people surrounding me, I always find myself back to that church.

Anyway, it's late and I have my first day of school tomorrow. I'll be attending SHINRA High. It's a SUUUUUUUPER tall building  
on the upper plate. I'll have to take the train every week. I'll also be wearing it's uniform. I wish I could say it's cute, but it's not.  
How could anyone enjoy gray plaid mini skirts with skin tight white blouses? I had to re-sew my uniform just so I could be comfortable.  
I wish I could make the skirt longer. But at least there's no rule against leggings. I'll just have to wear my pink ones. My tan ones have  
been torn while we were moving. Opps. Oh well.

*deep sigh* Wish me luck, Diary! Hopefully I'll make some friends tomorrow. I desperately need some. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll find  
a cute boyfriend too. Too much to hope for? Well, for now, I'll just look for friends.

I'm super scared... Well.... Goodnight >.<

~Aerith.

 


	2. First Day Jitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is Aerith's first day at school and already she is getting bullied. Will she make friends to ease her suffering?

 

"Who's she?" "Some Country Bumpkin?" "Pfft Nice one, Reno. Really." "Aww, you know I mean right!" "What's with that gaudy  
ribbon? And those leggings! YUCK! Girl has a thing for pink. Her name must be Barbie." "Oh that's cruel, Elena." "Don't give me that,  
Rude! I wouldn't be caught dead wearing pink! It's too flamboyant for me. Reno might look good in it though."

Laughter erupted down the crowded hallway as I tried to make my way to the office. I had just entered the Highschool building and  
already I'm the center of attention. I've been getting multiple stares and whistles from all around. I had to cover my face from behind  
my book bag. How embarrassing. Was my ribbon really gaudy looking? And what's wrong with my leggings? That girl over there has  
her blouse buttoned way too low! Why can't they complain about her....woah. There's no WAY those are real.

"Are you Gainsboro?" A deep voice broken me out of my trance. "Huh?" I looked up to see a tall man with the longest silver hair  
pulled into a pony tail. He wore the typical garb for a teacher: Black suit, white shirt and, well, he lacked the tie. In fact, he lacked a few  
buttons too. What's that red stain on his collar? Is that a scar on his neck? "Ah! Y-Yes. I'm sorry! I'm Aerith Gainsboro." I bowed  
respectfully at my superior. What am I doing analyzing him for? He's an instructor! Or maybe the student body President? He looked  
too young to be a teacher. I wonder how old he is?

The silver haired man smirked at my reaction and held a hand out to me. I shook it reluctantly, not even noticing how much I was shaking.  
"Ah, I see. I was told about you coming today, Miss Gainsboro. I am Sephiroth. I teach multiple study courses as well as basic math  
and science courses. Many students prefer to call me Professor S. No matter, I assume you must be looking for the office?" I  
couldn't help the soft heat bouncing from my cheeks. Woah! Such manners! I didn't expect that! I mimicked his smile and nodded.  
"I'd appreciate that, sir."

~~~~~~~~

"Pffft! You stupid ass! You can't ram your motorcycle into four trash bins and assume they'd bounce off the walls of a chocobo ranch!"  
"Tch, not like you can't bounce them off of your breasts, Tifa." "What was that, Zack?!" "Alright, class. That's enough. Everyone take  
your seats." Multiple students lazily roamed to their seats by their instructor's orders. The teacher, Mrs. Scarlet, had made her way to  
the desk and grabbed her attendance sheet. She looked up and around the room, marking little notes on her sheet before speaking to  
a group of people in the back seats. "Zack, shouldn't you be in detention with your brother?" The spiky black haired teen shrugged  
as he played with his pencil on the back of a girl's chair. The girl in front of him, who wore her blouse with most of her top buttons  
undone, had the largest set of breasts any innocent mind had never seen. Well, that's what I thought at least from my angle of the  
door way.

I was told to stay outside until my homeroom teacher, Mrs. Scarlet, had found a seat for me. Was it really that hard? There were many  
seats available. It looks like not many students like coming to homeroom. Glancing from the front door, I frowned silently as I saw  
the same group of people who were mocking my attire. Great... Juuuust great. "I assume that if you had skipped detention, yet again,  
then Cloud should be arriving shortly? Where is he?" The teacher barked, tapping her pen against her desk impatiently. Another shrug  
from the black haired male and another mark upon the tablet made by the teacher before she sighed and slammed the tablet onto her desk.  
Yikes... This is my homeroom?

"Fine then. Get in here girl!" My teacher barked at me, startling me in my spot. Nervously, I entered the room, trying hard not to break  
my 'smile' from my face. "We have a new student today. She's not from Midgar, so she may say a few strange things." I looked at my  
instructor in shock. How rude! I don't say strange things! Ah.. right, I have to make a good impression. Remember, Aerith: you need friends!  
Echoing my 'smile' from before, I bowed slightly toward the ground. "Um nice to meet you all. I'm Aerith Gainsboro." Little snickers  
bounced off the walls at my introduction. Then silence.

"Aerith, we have a color-coated dress code." My teacher warned me, earning another snicker. "I- wait really? But I don't have anything  
else that's gray." I frowned. "Not my problem. You're going to have to buy yourself something. Since this is your first day, I'll leave  
you with a warning. Now, take a seat.....over there." She pointed to a seat next to the busty girl. I gulped lightly, earning another snicker  
from the group in front.

Trying very hard to ignore the laughter, I slowly made my way to my new seat. Unfortunately, that didn't stop a red-haired male from  
extending his leg through my path, causing me to fall face first to the floor. At least my bag saved my face from bruising. But man,  
those books inside jammed against my cheek! Ouch!

"Pfft!! Hahaha flowers for undies, babe?" Laughter erupted and echoed down the hall as I tried desperately to hide my undergarments  
from the peering eyes. This is horrible! I Forgot! These pink leggings are almost see through! Ohhh Now I REALLY wish they had  
longer skirts... But...I have to focus! Don't let something like this bring me down. I won't let them break me. I stood up once more and  
continued to my new seat. Finally sliding into my seat, my eyes glued themselves to the wooden desk. Various doodles and scrapes were  
carved into the seat. Who sat here?

I tried to ignore the stares and laughter. I don't even remember hearing my teachers voice until something caught my attention. "Cloud,  
you're late." Cloud? Wait, that's a name? I looked up to see a spiky haired blonde male enter the room. He had a frown and glare  
plastered on his face. His glare was aimed at the group in front, though. And as if it were magic, the laughter vanished and the class  
began as he made his way toward me. "Psst hey." A voice next to me broke my concentration. "Sorry, just ignore them. They are all  
stuck up bitches anyway." The girl next to me smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Tifa." "Busty for short." "Shut up, Zack. Can't you  
see she's scared? Ignore him. Cloud's best friend can be an ass sometimes. Just let him know he's an ass and he'll back down." "No I  
won't. Ouch!" "Will you shut up back there?!"

A little smile crept up on my face as I watched Tifa and Zack bicker. Maybe I will make friends. They don't seem that bad. "Ah." I  
looked up and grabbed my bag, taking it out of the walkway for the blonde guy. He's so quiet. He's related to the other guy? They're so  
different. I tried to keep my eyes away from him but it was unavoidable when he muttered a soft 'Nice bow...' before taking his seat behind me. I gulped once more as I buried my face into my bag. Okay...He's cute....like reeeeally cute when he's closer. And now I feel like my neck is on fire! I-Is he watching me? W-Why? Was he joking about my ribbon or did he mean it? Wait, wait wait! Too many things are happening... Ugggh I can't wait until my last class. Professor Sephiroth teaches my math class as my final class of the day. I can't wait. At least he was nice.

 


	3. Longest First Day EVER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunchtime comes with talks about vampires! That, and Aerith's curiosity looms over her about Cloud and Sephiroth's inner feud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay reading back on this one, I definitely know I need to tune this bad boy up. One day, people!

 

  
Lunchtime finally arrived. God. I'm soooo glad I made my own lunch. The food they served here smelled rotten and you had to pay a  
lot of Gil just for a simple meal! You have to pay extra if you wished seconds... And from the look of the loudest table, they usually had  
many seconds. Sighing softly to myself, I avoided the table of loud miscreants, and found myself at a little park. It was cute! It had  
a small slide, a few swings and a giant moogle gym! I giggled at the scenery and sat down on top of the moogle gym. The gym was  
made of a soft plastic. Perfect for little children. And since it was still school time, this was the perfect place to eat! No disturbances from  
cruel people, no pranks no- "Ah! Hey, I found her! Zack, Cloud! I found her!"

Tifa's voice reached me as I was just about to take a bite of my sandwich. I blinked in surprise and frowned lightly at the, don't look at her bouncing boobs, cheerful girl. Tifa pouted at the bottom of the gym once she reached me. "Hey, we wanted to see if you'd like to hit the town with us?" "Huh? But it's lunch time. We have class in 30 minutes." I answered, lowering my sandwich to my side. I watched her  
climb her way to sit next to me. In the distance I could see Zack and Cloud leaning against two motorcycles outside of the park. Zack  
was laughing about something and Cloud was looking to the ground with the tiniest smile. Seriously, you could barely see his lips form.

I looked back to my little bag of food. "Why the city? Are you ditching class?" Tifa nodded at my question. "Why? Are Elena and Reno  
going too?" Tifa snorted. "The Turks? Heck no! We just want to get out of Sephiroth's class. After his fight with Cloud the other day,  
we're trying to help Cloud calm down." She rolled her brown eyes and I turned my attention back to the far away blonde. A fight? With  
a teacher? "They use to be friends, if you're wondering. But I'd avoid him if I were you. He's....tricky." I looked at her in confusion.  
"W-What do you mean? He was so nice to me this morning." Don't tell me there's more to worry! Tifa frowned a bit but quickly smiled.  
"Oh! That's right! Did you meet Barret's daughter yesterday?" I tilted my head.

"Barret's daughter, Marlene? She said a girl with a pink ribbon gave her a red rose. Cloud found your hanky on the pin ball machine and  
washed it for you. Hey, Cloud!" I blushed as I watched Cloud look up from the ground. Woah, now that I see him in a different light,  
his eyes are bright. Well, they're bright like Zack's but they really bring out his features. Wait, that's right! "Are they really brothers?"  
"Who? Cloud and Zack? Nah. Best friends. But everyone considers them to be like brothers. They always have each others back.  
Anyway, Cloud! Can you bring Aerith her hanky? You still have it, right?!" She shouted back to him. He blinked and lifted himself from  
his bike. He slowly walked over towards us as I tried to explain that it was a gift for the little girl. But...

"Tifa! Get over here! Yuffie has got something to tell you about Tseng!" Rolling her eyes at Zack's comment, Tifa slid down the moogle  
slide and patted Cloud's shoulder as she passed by him. Silence lifted the air around us as we both just stared at each other. It should  
be illegal to be this cute. But why won't he smile? Wait, what am I doing? I never properly introduced myself to him! I sat my bag to the  
side and slid down the slide. Once in front of him, I noticed he was a little taller than me. It's nice to look up at someone. Back home,  
I was surrounded by little kids. Not many teens.

"Uh.." Looking uncertain of himself, Cloud held up my handkerchief to me. "...Here." I smiled at him. "Thank you. Did she like my flower?"  
Looking away, he nodded silently. I giggled and held my hand out to him. He blinked, confused, before accepting my hand in a shake. "I'm Aerith." "....Cloud." He mimicked a silent smile. Ohhhhh he's CUTE! I'm so glad he can't read my thoughts. Hmm looking over his  
shoulder, I noticed the motorcycle he was leaning on. It was big, black and had many leather designs. On the side, a red 'AVALANCHE'  
was written in flames. Avalanche? Ah! "Are you in a gang?" I asked timidly, taking a step back. Noticing my fear, he shrugged. "It's  
Barret's. But yeah." He looked back to his bike. Releasing my hand, he decided to start walking back to his ride. However, he stopped  
in his tracks when he heard me say 'Nice bike' to him. He glanced over at me shortly before quickly walking back to his friends. Was he...  
Blushing? How cute! Feeling my smile grow, I decided to follow after him and met up with Zack and Tifa.

"A vampire? Puhleez. A vampire? In Midgar? Yuffie, have you been reading weird things from Hojo's class again?" Tifa shook her head  
at the short girl beside them. The short girl wore our uniform but had a dark green head band on, making her look like a female ninja.  
"Cute." I giggled quietly. Well not quietly enough. The ninja girl turned to me, hands on her hips in a pout. "Who's this? OHHHH  
I like your ribbon! It's got cute little flowers on it!" I blushed a little sadly, remembering my morning event. Tifa held Yuffie close to her.  
"Yuffie, if only you shared the same homeroom with us. The Turks are going to pay for what they did to her." Cloud grunted at Tifa's  
suggestion before sitting back on his bike.

"Woah wait what? What'd I miss? Did Reno pinch you, girl? I'll smack him SO hard! Ugh! He's such a doof. ....... ANYWAY, girly,  
don't worry about them. Avalanche will treat chya right!" Yuffie glomped me in a big hug. I blushed more and laughed at her easy  
going nature. "C-Call me Aerith. Nice to meet you, Yuffie. Um, who's your homeroom teacher?" I asked. "Mr. Tseng. OH! That's right!  
The VAMP! I'm telling ya, Tifa! He's a REAL vamp! Even his NAME is VAMPY!" "Oh my God, Yuffie! Chill out! How can a name  
make someone a vampire? Remember when Cloud met Reno?" "Pfft, that was great, bro. Listen to this, Aerith! Reno called Cloud  
'Choco', cause of his bright hair right? Pffft Cloud got pissed and punched Reno so hard, the damn guy got a major nose bleed.  
I swear, with as much blood that came out, he could use it as his hair dye! Hahaha!" Tifa and Yuffie laughed at Zack's joke. I giggled  
nervously, looking over to the now blushing Cloud. Chocobo? Awww well I should probably avoid calling him that. He's obviously  
embarrassed by it.

"Why would a vampire be in Midgar? There's nothing good here for a vampire." I spoke, causing the others to stop laughing. "See, Yuf?  
Aerith believes me too." Tifa nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah? I bet if Hojo saw him, he'd PROVE Vincent's a vampire!" Yuffie pouted  
again. "Vincent?" Zack yawned, leaning on his bike. "Well it does kinda sound like a creepy name." Yuffie jumped up and down in  
excitement. "SEE?! Finally someone agrees with me! But get this, he's going to be the new teacher for Mrs. Brody. You heard about  
her rush to the hospital last weekend, right?" Tifa nodded. "Yeah, she had to get the Turk's leader to drive her there. I tell ya, man.  
She's a scank with them! Always showering them with treats and crap."

"Umm.. what's the Turks?" I asked, earning all of them to look at me. "Stay away from them.." Cloud warned, sitting up on his bike.   
"Speaking of, if we're going to your bar, Tifa, let's go. The bell will ring soon." Tifa shrugged as she took a spot behind Zack. I listened  
to both motorcycles rev up their engines. It was loud and a soft wave of smoke erupted from the vehicles. "You coming, Aerith? I'm gonna  
go back to class. I wanna get more on this vampire. You can sit with Cloud, he's a better driver than Zack." Yuffie chuckled at Zack's  
roll of his eyes. I blushed a little at the thought but quickly shook it off. "Oh uh no thanks. I'd better get ready for Mr. Sephiroth's class."

"....You're in his class?" Cloud looked up at me from his bike. Woah...what's with the sad look? "I...yes. I do. He's my math teacher.  
Why?" "I'll take you." He offered. "Huh?" "Just go, Aerith. Cloud shares his last class with you. Trust me, trust him." Yuffie said, pushing  
me towards his bike. She leaned over and whispered into my ear. "Besides, he'll protect you from Sephiroth. A word of advice: Don't  
EVER let Sephiroth talk you into being alone with him. Cloud wouldn't like it." I shook in fear at Yuffie's words before I took a deep  
breath and sat behind Cloud. "Hang on." I nodded and held onto his shirt awkwardly. Looking up at my driver, I noticed him smirking  
through the side mirrors. Maybe this wasn't really a good idea.

 


	4. Mr. Sephiroth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Electricity sparks between Sephiroth and Cloud as Aerith and Cloud enter into their class. Tension rises in the air until the end of the day and Aerith reflects on how her first day went.

 

The ride with Cloud was awkward. We sat in silence the whole time. Which made it harder for me to focus on other things.  
Since I had my hands on his waist, I could tell that he worked out. Compared to Zack's obvious muscles, Cloud's was more  
relaxed but strong. He hid his strength well, as if he didn't want anyone to see the true man under his clothes. 'W-woah,  
Aerith! Back it up girl. You just met this guy.' I reminded myself over and over again, but to no avail. Cloud was mysterious,  
but it wasn't his body that made him mysterious. It was his actions and emotions that confused me. Like for instance, what's  
his beef with our teacher, Mr. Sephiroth? It's true that it's still my first day, and I have no right to judge someone, but  
just the mention of Mr. Sephiroth's name made Cloud's face turn grim. It was kind of scary. But he still wanted to protect me  
from him. Why?

  
My thoughts soon came to an end as we pulled up to the school's parking lot. I slid off of Cloud's motorcycle and smiled  
awkwardly at him. I could feel various stares of passerby students while we pulled up. Cloud didn't seem to care. "U-Um thanks,  
Cloud. I'm uh..I'm gonna go get my bag, mkay?" He stayed silent, looking around for something. What was bugging him? Sighing  
softly, I waved goodbye to him and then entered the school. I still felt many stares and a few others starting some rumor as I  
trailed over to my locker. I spun my code into the lock and struggled with the lock. Nothing. I tried again, but with more  
struggle. "Ugh. I'm doing this right, aren't I?" I mumbled, pulling on my lock. "Having problems?" I heard a voice behind me.  
I jumped, startled, until I came face to face with the red-haired guy from homeroom. He was in two other classes of mine.  
He held out his hand to me and smiled a crooked grin. "Name's Reno. Need help?" I frowned at him and returned my gaze to my lock.  
"Like how you 'helped' me this morning?" I spat back.

  
Reno looked at me with a hurtful laugh. "Okay okay. We got off on the wrong foot. Sorry about that. Really. Now,  
can I make it up to you by helping you with your lock?" He pleaded at me, leaning up against my locker. "Reno." Cloud's voice  
appeared out of no where. Cloud stood behind Reno, causing the red-head to gulp and back away from me. "H-Hey dude. Chill alright?"  
I looked back between the two. Cloud was just staring at the guy and it freaked Reno out. "Aerith. What's your combination?"  
Cloud asked me, still glaring at Reno. "Eh? Ah 6-24-38-10?" I spoke, looking back at my written combination I had received  
this morning. Nodding gently, Cloud inserted my code with ease, opening my lock like magic. "I-I was putting it in backwards?  
Really?" I looked at the lock dumbfounded. I glanced over to Cloud and smiled. "Thanks!" Cloud however was still glaring at  
the now running away Reno. Why'd he run away? Cloud isn't creepy at all. Maybe a little misunderstood, but he's not creepy.  
Suddenly the first bell rang, breaking me from my thoughts. "Oh crap!" I quickly grabbed my textbook and shut the locker  
door. Cloud looked over to me and nodded. "Come on." He said, leading me to our class. Peeking my head into the room, I only  
saw a few other seats available. Three in the front and two in the back. Standing at the chalk board was Mr. Sephiroth. Noticing  
me enter, he smiled at me and nodded. "Come on in, Ms. Gainsboro. Welcome to my classroom." I nodded and smiled back. I looked  
around for a seat and pouted lightly. Suddenly, I felt a strong hand grasp mine and pull me with him. I looked up at the owner  
of the hand and blinked in surprise. "Mr. Strife." Mr. Sephiroth's voice stopped us in our tracks. "You're suppose to be  
downstairs with Mr. Cid, are you not? Do you not remember what you and Mr. Fair did to get forced into detention?" Cloud  
ignored Mr. Sephiroth's words and continued pulling me to the two free spots in the back of the classroom. "I won't say it  
again, Mr. Strife. Go back to the detention room." Cloud sat down in his seat and glared at our silver-haired instructor.  
"Make me."

  
Silence filled the room as the whole class looked from one person to the next. It was as if they were expecting a  
brawl to break out. I too looked from between them. Cloud's eyes almost looked cat-like as they glared at our instructor.  
Mr. Sephiroth, however, stared with a look I couldn't recognize. Was it...taunting? Chuckling lightly, Mr. Sephiroth turned  
back to the board and continued writing equations with the chalk. "As you wish, Mr. Strife. I do not wish to set a bad  
example on our new student. Ms. Gainsboro, you may take your seat now." He spoke to us in a kind, but strange, voice.  
I don't know what to make of this.  
Finally taking my seat next to Cloud, I found myself looking at him with worry every now and then. I don't know  
if he noticed, but he just kept Mr. Sephiroth in his sights. Was he even paying attention to the lecture? Not once during  
class did he take notes or even opened the text book. He just sat back in his desk, arms crossed and a stern stare. I so  
want to know what's running through his head.

~~~~~~~~  
X/X/XX  
Dear Diary,

I'm back from my first day of school! Finally! I don't know how to describe today, honestly. It started horrible, by lunch it  
was a little better and then turned so...dark. I suppose I should re-cap on what happened.

From what I gather, there are two main gangs at my school: The Turks and Avalanche. The Turks are more like your typical  
preppy stereo type. Except they are rich, rude and always dressed in the most expensive outfits. I WOULD say that one of them,  
Reno, was kind of nice to me, except I remember very clearly that it was he who made me trip in homeroom, causing everyone  
to see my.....undies... How embarrassing.

Avalanche, on the other hand, are quite the opposite. Despite all of their graffiti sprawled throughout the streets, they  
actually accepted me as I am. I know they saw what happened, but they shrugged it off and instead welcomed me with a  
smile. I am really happy about that. Avalanche, as far as I know, is a small group. There's Tifa, Yuffie, Zack and Cloud.  
Tifa works at the Seventh Heaven in Sector Seven. The guy with the gun-arm I saw the other day was Barret. It looks like  
he's a part of Avalanche too. He also has a little daughter, Marlene. She's the girl who I gave my flower to. She was such  
a nice girl!

Yuffie is a nice girl too. It seems she's a daughter of a ninja family in Wutai. She had moved to Midgar because of her  
father's business in the martial arts. It seems he has a dojo somewhere in sector three. I'll have to check it out sometime!  
Yuffie said she'll ask him to give me a discount. Why am I interested in martial arts? Well, Midgar doesn't really have  
a good reputation, especially in the schools. What with the gangs and all. Trust itself doesn't seem to be enough. Besides,  
I can't just keep hoping Cloud would protect me.

OH that's right! Cloud Strife.

Well...there's so much I want to say about him...but at the same time I just don't know WHAT to say about him. Despite  
everyone's fear of him, Cloud is a really nice guy. He protected me from the Turks, stood by my side and even helped me  
with my locker! (Note to self: Start from the left, not the right!)The only thing, well not the ONLY thing, I don't  
understand about him is his distaste for Mr. Sephiroth.

Mr. Sephiroth is my math instructor, and Cloud's as well. Mr. Sephiroth had helped me figure out which class I had  
this morning. But once I entered his class at the end of the day, there was like some silent feud going on between him  
and Cloud. In fact, Cloud wasn't even suppose to be in class today. He and Zack were suppose to be in detention all day.  
Neither of them went though.

Zack is Cloud's best friend, aside from Tifa. Zack and Cloud met in Cloud's hometown, Niebelhiem. It looks like Tifa  
was from there too. Anyway, Zack and Cloud are like brothers, so many people refer to them as such. But they have no  
biological relation. Just friends ^^

Well, again I don't know what to say about today. I'm just glad it's over. I wonder how tomorrow is going to be?

Anyway, it's late. Goodnight, Diary!

~Aerith.

 


	5. Girl's Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the title implies, it's full on girl's day out! Time to skip school, doll ourselves up, talk about vampires (again) and jam with the boys at a nearby club! Oh! And Aerith meets a new friend along the way!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I know. Red XIII is a red hot teenage bartender. What more can you ask for? I didn't know how else to fit him into the story, so just roll with it, kay?

 

"Good morning, Mom!" I yawned as I walked down the steps from my bedroom. I could smell the eggs, bacon and pan cakes  
mom prepared for us. I always loved it when I woke up to such a pleasant scent! Mom looked up at me from her spot at the table.  
"Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?" I nodded, taking a seat in front of her. "Actually, yeah. I did." She smiled  
warmly at me before taking a sip of her coffee. "Despite what happened yesterday?" I frowned at the memory of events from  
yesterday. "Oh I'm sorry sweetie. I know you must have felt so heartbroken about yesterday. But ignoring all of that,  
you still made friends. And you'll see them again today! How about, after school, you invite them to hang out with us?" I  
looked up at her in shock. "Mom, we don't even have enough seats! I'm still sleeping on a sleeping mat in my room. When are  
we going to get furniture, anyway?" She grinned at my question. "Today, actually. I just got paid, so we should have  
enough Gil for a couch and maybe even for a chair or two. The beds might have to wait for another few weeks, but don't worry!  
Oh! That reminds me, I made you a quilt." She held up a long red, pink and orange quilt. The designs were lovely and even  
had pictures of various flowers. I giggled at the warm blanket. "Thanks, Mom!" I laughed with her as I gave her a biiiiig  
hug! I love my mom!

  
After breakfast, I quickly got dressed for school. Although, I still don't have the proper leggings. Maybe I could  
explain it to the main office? Would they let it slide, knowing I'm a new girl? I shrugged off the thought, pulling my  
backpack over my shoulders and then ran down the stairs. "Bye, Mom! See ya later!" "Have a nice day, sweetie!" She chanted  
back as I ran out the door. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to get to school. I wanna see my new friends  
so much!  
I eventually made it to the Sector 5 train station. It was a little packed, but I was still able to get a ticket and  
wait in line. Once the train arrived, I climbed in and stood near the doorway. My hand grasped the swinging handle closest to  
me as the train began to move. "Arrival time to Sector 7 will be in 3 minutes. Those waiting for the top plate must wait  
10 more minutes, please. Thank you for riding with us." Spoke the intercom. Once we reached Sector 7, I took a deep breath  
and smiled. But my smile soon faded. Where are they? Tifa and Cloud live in the Sector 7, right? Shouldn't they be on the  
train too? Oh, wait. That's right. He probably drove them both on his motorcycle. Hmm, honestly, I thought motorcycles  
were forbidden at Shinra High?

  
My thoughts quickly came to an end as a hand clasped over my mouth and a blindfold erased my vision. W-what the?!  
"Be quiet." A disgruntled voice pierced my ears. Oh, God! What's going on?! "Stay right where you are and keep calm. Or else."  
The voice held my exposed hand behind my back. Shivering in fear, I did as the voice said. I froze in place and stood  
absolutely still. Who was this person? It sounded like a drunk man. 'Oh, God, please tell me someone will stop this guy!  
Someone save me! Tifa! Cloud!' I prayed over and over in my mind as the train eventually passed by many stops.  
I never made it to school. The 10 minutes flew by and we spent an additional 20 minutes on the train. We stopped at  
Sector 2. I had never been there before. What's in Sector 2? I wish I could see. I really just wanna run away now! "Move it."  
The voice barked at me, shoving me off of the train. Whimpering softly to myself, I followed the drunk's orders. He pushed  
me along to various streets. If he needed me to stop, I would. Throughout the whole trip I couldn't help but wish for a  
pair of strong arms. Someone to protect me. To take the fear away. "Cloud.." I whimpered quietly.  
Soon enough, we suddenly stopped. Where were we? Thinking I'd never be able to see, the blindfold was suddenly  
removed to reveal Tifa smiling at me with her arms crossed and not dressed in her school attire. "T-Tifa?!" I gasped.  
"Who'd you think it'd be to steal you away from school?" Yuffie's voice came from behind me. She poked around me, swinging  
the blindfold around her fingers. "Y..Yuffie. You gave me a heart attack!" She grinned mischievously. "Oh? Are you  
sure it wasn't a certain blonde you were thinking about?" I looked away from her as she laughed.  
"Why are we in Sector 2? We're missing class!" I asked them. Tifa laughed and wrapped an arm around me. "Screw school!  
We're having a girl's day!" "Totally!" Yuffie jumped in excitement. "B-But.." I frowned at their enthusiasm. "Look,  
after what happened yesterday, it's best to skip today. Besides, you really don't want to go in today. The Turks have the  
whole school chanting a new nickname for you." Tifa rolled her eyes. "What name?" I asked. Yuffie frowned, mimicking Tifa's  
eye roll. "Many, actually. Flower Girl is the nicest. But the Turks cooked up Panty Loon as a 'sweet gesture' for you.  
Zack told us to steal you away before school and give you a proper 'fresh start' to the school year. Besides, you haven't  
been in Midgar long enough, right? Have you even been in Sector 2?" I shook my head at her question. "Then let's go already!"  
Sighing in defeat, I took their hands and we made our way into the city. Mom's gonna be so mad..  
  
~~~~~~~  
Okay, I was wrong. This is a BLAST! Tifa and Yuffie decided to first hit the mall. Seeing as how I'm from the  
country side, I'd never been to the mall before. I had never seen so many stores before! And many of them were expensive too.  
But, Tifa offered to pay for everything, seeing as how she just got paid. Although, whenever she paid, I noticed she'd mainly  
pay in 1Gs. I thought she worked at the bar? Tifa must have noticed the look on my face because she giggled and poked my  
side. "I have two jobs, Aerith." I looked away, embarrassed. Her laugh grew. "I work at Seventh Heaven most of the time  
but sometimes I work at the Strip Tease in Sector 6." She ignored the various stares from the passerby near us.  
We visited many stops. The girls helped me find some really pretty dresses, and leggings. I tried desperately to  
avoid going to an undergarment store named 'Thong', omg WHAT?, but eventually Tifa talked me into getting some more  
'sophisticated' lady garments. I can only imagine why. But I still bought some, none the less. By lunchtime, I became  
curious. Where were the guys? They wouldn't actually WANT to stay behind and go to school, would they?  
Probably noticing my stare into my pizza slice, Yuffie poked my cheek while sipping her soda. "What's up, girly?"  
I smiled at her childish gesture. "I was just thinking was all. I mean, did the guys decide to stay at school today? I know  
that Zack and Cloud were suppose to be in detention yesterday, but they refused to go before. Why would they stay today?"  
Tifa took a bite of her burger and wiped her lips with a napkin. "They're not at school. Don't worry we'll see them soon.  
They're here in Sector 2 as well. We just haven't met up with them yet." Really? I glanced around, expecting to see the  
guys any where in the store, but didn't see anyone look like them. They weren't in the mall with us? "Girl, chill. We'll  
see them at our next stop. But first, we GOTTA get you out of those rags." I looked down at my school uniform. What's  
wrong with this?

  
Seeing my confusion, both girls rolled their eyes at me. "Trust me, you'll thank us for this. But you really have  
to get changed." Tifa said, placing the bill on the table. Yuffie slid a tip under the bill as a thank you to the waiter.  
"Come on, there's a rest room over there. We'll help you chose something from what we bought today." Taking one last bite  
of my pizza, I wiped my mouth with my napkin and then followed the girls to the ladies room.  
I regret everything now. "I-I can't go out in THIS!" "Why not?" Yuffie asked me, so innocently. Too innocent, I  
admit. "I've never worn anything like this before! It's tight. A-and people can see my cleavage." I fidgeted with my outfit.  
This is horrible! I can't believe Tifa snuck this into my bag! I don't know how, but Tifa and Yuffie both tricked me into  
wearing a dark red crop top, which definitely showed my cleavage. My black bra straps were peeking on the sides, sort of  
like an 80s look. I no longer wore the tacky gray skirt from school. Instead, I wore a short black skirt, with little  
sliced fringes. I did like the texture of the fabric, but it just felt too short. Tifa may have bigger breasts than I,  
but what I lack in front, I make up for in the back. To put it simply. They even got me thigh-high boots. I've never  
even seen these in the store. Where'd they get them? Oh, man, mom's gonna freak!  
"I don't see what's the problem." Tifa examined my outfit with a finger to her lips. "Hmm wait. There IS one thing.  
Here, Yuffie." She handed her a brush. "You take care of her hair, I'll do her make up." I took a step back. Oh God, now what?  
"What's wrong with the way I am?" I gulped before feeling my pink ribbon slide from my hair. Yuffie had begun brushing my  
hair as Tifa began to wipe off my current make up. I don't wear much in the morning. Only a little eye liner and maybe  
some lip gloss, but that's all. It looks like neither girl wanted to tell me, though. I sighed in defeat and let them doll  
me up. Tifa had put a soft red lip stick on my lips, actually I really liked it. I've never seen my lips so mature before!  
She also added a soft color to my eyes and a hint of mascara. Wow, she really knew what she was doing. As for Yuffie,  
she had brushed my hair out and then began to tease my hair with the brush. It caused my hair to look thicker and bit  
wilder before she brought it all together and re-wrapped my hair with my ribbon on top of my scalp. Now I DEFINITELY look  
like a girl from the 80s. I couldn't stop staring into the mirror. "Alright, babe! Now you're hot stuff!" Tifa laughed, patting  
my tush lightly with a paper towel. "Come on! We'll be late!" Yuffie jumped up and down in excitement.

~~~~~~  
Oh...My god.  
Where is this? A few streets away, Yuffie, Tifa and I walked through the city until we made it to an old  
warehouse. There was a line at the door, but we made it in easily when Tifa showed the guard her license. I couldn't hear anything  
over the music and shouting and laughter. Once inside, Tifa pulled me and Yuffie along to a table with a bench to sit at.  
We weren't far away from a stage, it looked like. Music was playing from a band, I'm not sure who they were. Some sort of  
alternative rock, I believe? "Haha we made it! Oh man, Tifa! This is great! I'm totally looking forward to this!" Yuffie  
hopped around in her seat, overly excited. Tifa waved her hand to a guy with the coooooolest hair ever!  
The guy came over and greeted us with a smile. "There you girls are." He sounded young. Like in his teens. I looked  
at his outfit. He was dressed in all leather. Leather jacket with chains in the pockets and leather pants with holes on the  
rims of the feet. He must wear this a lot. He also had an earthy scent to him. It wasn't mucky or anything. It was actually  
soothing. But what really got my attention was his hair! If I thought Reno's red hair was wild, I thought wrong.  
This guy's hair was a mix of many reds. Dark to light. It was short on one side and then got longer on the other. A total  
punk, by definition. He must have noticed my stare because he chuckled at me. "Dig the look, babe?" "Red, be nice." Yuffie  
nudged his shoulder, which now I see had a 'XIII' tattoo on his shoulder, poking out from a hole in his jacket.  
"Aerith, this is our friend, Red. Well it's not his real name but he prefers it that way. Besides, it suits him." Tifa  
explained. I held out my hand to him, which he accepted with ease. "Nice to meet you, Aerith. Wait, Aerith? Oh! You're the  
one Cloud and Zack were talking about. Yikes, I think their description is way off. You're hotter than they described." Both  
Tifa and Yuffie burst into hysterics as I blew up in a blushing groan. "I don't normally dress like this." I mumbled. But then  
I looked up at him in surprise. "The guys are here?" I looked around again. Great, they are going to laugh at me too.  
"They'll be on soon. Just after this song, actually. Anyway, let me get you girls some drinks before they are up." Tifa  
gave Red an order, with which he quickly gave us.

  
Minutes passed and soon enough, new music was beginning to play. Tifa, Yuffie and I stopped our chatter and looked  
to the stage. There they were. Zack had grabbed the mic as leading vocals as he held a guitar in his arms. There was another  
guy on the drums, who I had never seen before. He didn't look like he was interested much except for his drum. A girl  
with short wavy red hair was playing the keyboard and Cloud? He was playing his own guitar. It seems he played leading guitar  
while Zack played bass, to focus more on his vocals I assume. But, I just couldn't stop looking at Cloud. He looked like  
he was in a trance. Moved by the music. Heck, I know I was. But wow. Look at him. He looks so different when he's not in  
school attire. Cloud and the others wore similar outfits. All black, some in leather. His was a mix of leather and a cut-off  
sweat shirt. His leather trench coat had one long sleeve and latched around his back to meet with his belt buckle. "You're  
staring, Aerith." Yuffie's voice broke me from my thoughts as she whispered into my ear. I looked over at her in shock  
and laughed nervously. Tifa just stared at me with no smile. What was wrong?  
Not long after three more songs of theirs, the guys left the stage and soon enough joined us at our table. "You guys  
ROCK!" Yuffie shouted, not caring who heard. Tifa high fived Zack and hugged Cloud. "Seriously, Yuffie's right, for once." "Hey!"  
They all laughed together. Unfortunately, the laughter quickly ended. "Holy-! Who's the baaab.... AERITH?! Wow.....Like  
really...Woah.." Zack eyed my body up and down, causing me to slide lower in my seat. How can I hide myself? Where's a  
napkin or something?! Stop STARING at me! Yuffie couldn't stop giggling though. "Just wow? That's it? You guys suck." She  
laughed, pulling me into her hug. "She's stunning! See, Air-bear, if you just dress like this at school, you'll definitely  
get laid!" I gasped and jumped out of my seat. "W-WHAT?! THAT'S why you dressed me up like this?" Tifa and Yuffie kept  
laughing. "No, silly! We did this only to see their faces! Look. Cloud can't stop staring." Tifa mentioned, pointing to  
Cloud, who indeed was still staring at me. Great, now I'm even more embarrassed. I looked away, wishing I could vanish.  
"Haha, alright guys, let the girl relax." Red's voice came up to our table. It looks like he brought more drinks.  
"Heeey you guys were great! We had a bigger crowd this time. Were those songs new?" Zack shook his head at Red's question  
and took a seat next to Tifa. "The last one was. The others were from a few movies. You don't remember hearing them?" Red  
shook his head. "Nah, I don't watch movies much anymore. You know that." He laughed. Cloud nudged my shoulder and pointed  
to the seat. I grumbled a bit before sliding back into my seat, Cloud joined next to me. Red got called over to another table  
which left us to chat. "So, what's the next plan?" Yuffie asked, taking a sip of her drink. "What did you girls do today,  
anyway?" Zack asked, opening his can of soda. "Just the basic girl stuff. You know. Shopping, eating, giving Aerith a total  
make over." Tifa rolled her eyes with a smile.

  
"Mm! OH! I forgot to tell you guys about Vincent!" Yuffie spoke within her glass. A groan erupted from the gang,  
earning us all a glare from the ninja girl. "Don't give me that! Anyway, when I got back to Science yesterday, I saw him!  
He's actually not that bad looking. Heck, he even looks around our age." Tifa chuckled lightly. "Got a little crush, Yuffie?"  
"NO!....okay maybe. He IS cute. ANYWAY, so he's going to be taking over to Science, right? Rumor has it, he was experimented  
on by HOJO!" Yuffie spoke with a creepy grin. "So?" Cloud looked at her with a raised eye brow. "So?! Oh come ON, Cloud!  
He looks like a friggin vampire, he's so quiet, even more than you spiky boy, AND he's an EXPERIMENT to boot?! What's 'SO'  
about it?!" I giggled at her drama. "None of us have even taken his class yet. Why judge someone when we don't even know him?  
Where'd you get this information anyway?" Everyone looked at me and then to her, who looked away shyly. "....Reno..."  
We all couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, yeah. TOTALLY accurate info there, babe. Good one." Zack laughed before taking  
a big gulp of his pop. Tifa poked Yuffie's nose lightly, making the ninja girl to pout. "Oh it's okay, Yuffie. Reno's not  
THAT bad. Okay well he IS but still. Why trust him? He's a Turk! No point there, girlfriend. Anyway, Aerith!" "Huh?" I looked  
up from my glass. "Sorry about stealing you away from school this morning. We just wanted to make up for yesterday." I  
shook my head and laughed nervously. "I-It's okay, Tifa. Really. It was just....a bad day, I guess?" Zack shook his head  
in disagreement. "It doesn't matter if it was good or bad. Those damn Turks shouldn't have done that to you. You must  
have been scared. Anyway, it's Cloud you should be thanking. Kidnapping you was his idea." "Really?" I looked over to  
Cloud, who just shrugged lightly.  
  
~~~~~~  
Time passed, and soon enough it was almost midnight. I really should go home. Mom's probably calling the cops  
looking for me! Probably noticing my fear in my face, Tifa stood up from her seat and stretched. "Okay, children! Time  
to head back home!" "Who you callin' a kid, kid?" Zack and Yuffie sang together in horrible harmony. Tifa rolled her eyes  
pulled me along with her to the exit. "I bet you're ready to go home, huh?" I nodded after a yawn. "Yeah. Mom's gonna freak."  
I laughed nervously. I looked around the streets and sighed. "Where's the train station?" Tifa pointed to my left.  
"A few streets down that way. But I doubt the train will be going at this time. Not many people are around." I looked over  
to her with a frown. "I have to get home though. Are we going to walk all the way back?" Tifa laughed. ""It's cool. Trust me.  
Zack drove us here in his car, so don't worry about it." "Gonna have to drop Yuffie off first though. She's way passed  
her curfew." Zack smirked at the girl, who in reply pouted about her 'stupid curfew'. I smiled and nodded while I lifted  
my bag around my shoulder.  
"Ready to go, Cloud? Our stop is further than Yuffie's stop." Tifa asked Cloud, but he didn't look at her. He was  
looking at me. "How about you go with them instead? I need to ask her something." Tifa looked over to me with a frown  
but quickly hid it with a smile. "Yeah, sure. Don't be out too late or Barret will lock you out like last time." She  
said before sliding into Zack's car. I watched them leave towards the high way. I looked over to Cloud, confused. "Um..?"  
"Come on." He led me to his motorcycle. Looks like I'll have to hold onto him again.  
Our drive to Sector 5 took so long. I don't know why. Maybe because I didn't know how to confront him. Cloud  
was just so mysterious. I couldn't help but just look at the passing buildings as I held onto the hem of Cloud's jacket.  
He didn't seem to mind, in fact, a few times I'd catch him looking at me in his mirror. But still, silence. I thought he  
wanted to ask me something? "Aerith." His voice broke me out of my thoughts once we stopped as a stop light. "Y-yes?" I  
answered. "I want to apologize." This again? "Cloud, you guys already said sorry about those guys." I replied with a smile.  
"I meant about Sephiroth..." I watched him in the mirror. He looked sad. "Cloud..I...It's okay. Really. H-Honestly,  
it's none of my business. So, it's okay." I really wanted to ask him about his hate towards our instructor, but it just  
didn't feel right. "Actually, I think I should thank you." "What?" He turned to look at me, not even caring that the  
light had changed back to green. Luckily, no one was around, so there was no need to care, really.  
I smiled at him. "How about you and the rest of Avalanche come over to my place this weekend? My mom thought  
it'd be a good idea. Besides, I want to have friends over." He looked away slightly but returned his gaze to mine. "Uh. Sure.  
I'll tell the others about it." He continued our drive back to Sector 5 Slums. I told him to just drop me off at the market  
street, since my home was directly behind it. Once I hopped off of his motorcycle, I turned to him and smiled. "Thanks. Really.  
I had fun." He smiled back, omg cute!, and nodded at me. But before I was able to walk completely away, he stopped me in my  
tracks to say something. "Reno was right, you know." I turn to look at him. "Huh? About what?" He leaned on his bike a bit  
and smirked into my eyes. "You do have a nice ass."

 


End file.
